Gainesville City School bus drivers may see an increase in their paycheck next year and those interested in becoming a bus driver might also be eligible for incentives.
Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Williams said they wanted to find a way to recruit new drivers and keep them, as well as keep their current drivers happy.
"The first one is hiring bonuses up to $1,000 and what we plan to do is split that up into two different payments," said Williams at Monday night's school board work session. "We haven't decided if that will be as soon as they're hired, half of it six months later or we want to make sure they are going to commit to us and not just provide the funds upon hiring. There will be a commitment there, but we're working on details."
For current employees, incentives will come through referrals and loyalty. Employees may refer a new driver and get $500 after the new driver complete their first year, or collect a longevity bonus: $500 a year for five years of work, $1,000 a year for 10 years of work, $2,000 a year for 20 years of work and $3,000 a year for 30 years of work.
"You hear a lot of what's going on in different areas regarding bus drivers and we hear a little bit about bonuses and hiring bonuses, we hear a little bit about referrals. We thought it was important to us to do it all at one time and do it in a way that can benefit those who have been serving us for 20 years, but at the same time use it as a recruiting tool to make sure we've got a fleet that has the amount of drivers that we need, cause as we continue to grow as a school system we never know what lies around the corner."
The maximum payout amount the budget would allow for the incentive program is $50,000. The money will be included into next year's (2018-2019) budget.
Williams said they had a shortage of bus driver, so the incentive also includes a referral program. "Everybody's looking for bus drivers, there's a huge intensive training that goes on for every driver and we want to make sure we reward our drivers," said Williams.
According to the Department of Driver Services, Georgia bus drivers must have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and get a school bus endorsement.
They must pass the general knowledge tests for obtaining a CDL License, plus the knowledge tests for both "Passenger" vehicle endorsement and "School Bus" endorsement. That requires the driver to take a driving skills test in a school bus of the same vehicle group as the person will drive, as well as pay fees - $50 for road test, $20 for license and $5 for each endorsement, as well as a $35 application fee that can be waived by a signed an notarized form.
